The Darkest Swan Timeline
by AbbeysFanFictionCorner
Summary: I have arrogantly decided to rewrite the entire 5th season for NaNoWriMo!
1. Chapter 1

**Regina**

The black cloud began to consume her and she felt her magic pulsing in her veins. She felt it swelling and vibrating as the cloud swirled around her. In the distance Regina heard a voice call out and the blackness vanished. Her vision adjusted and she let a breath out she didn't know she was holding. She looked around and realized what happened.

Emma. What a moron.

Regina watched helplessly as the black cloud sweep over Emma. Emma made eye contact with her and said, "You came too far to be dragged back. Let me-" Emma didn't finish her sentence before she was swept away into the night.

Everyone stood quietly, looking in the direction of the darkness that took Emma away. It was impossible to understand what happened. It felt like that moment lasted forever before that damned pirate shouted, "SWAN!" For all his drama, she could hear the pain in his voice. He loved her, for some reason.

Snow and Charming clutched each other and spoke in hushed tones. Regina rolled her eyes but then remembered that Emma was their child. Regina imagined Henry being swept away by dark magic and she could feels flames forming at her fingertips at the very thought.

Robin wrapped his arms around her and sighed in relief. She hugged him back as she noticed the knife in the middle of the street. The pirate noticed it too and went to it. They all approached it and read the etching on the side of the knife. "Emma Swan."

Hook snatched the knife off the concrete and shouted, "Swan! I command you to appear!"

Everyone waited.

Nothing happened.

Regina huffed and grabbed the knife, "Give me that before you lose another hand." She pushed her magic into her voice and held the knife into the sky, "Emma! I command you to show yourself!"

Everyone waited again.

Nothing happened again.

The pirate looked at her and scowled. He sneered, "Yeah, thanks for handling that. Where is she?"

Regina felt Emma's presence in the knife but it was distant. It was like she was worlds away or even…

"The enchanted forest," she muttered. Of course. It's where the Dark One was born, it would be where Emma was reborn. Regina explained that to everyone calmly and they all nodded gravely.

Charming was the first to speak up and he said what she knew he would say, "We have to go save her."

Everyone nodded, even Robin. Regina would never understand how heroes drum up so much hope and gumption day in and day out.

Telling Henry what happened was somehow worse than she thought. She thought about what to say over and over as she trudged down the street with the Charmings. Robin left to check on his son and Hook went to the docks to collect himself. Regina assumed he needed to cry in private then reapply his eyeliner.

Henry took the news like a shot. He sat there quietly for a long time before finally saying, "Okay, then what is the plan. We can save her."

They stayed up all night thinking of a plan, but they were too tired to come up with anything useful. Around 4am they remembered the Apprentice. He would be able to help! Snow slammed her hands on the table and said, "Sleep." She said it firmly and in a way that no one questioned it. Somewhere in the back of Regina's mind she hated this about Snow. It was that Snow White royalty seeping out of her, and everyone listened. Regina nodded and poofed herself back to her own bedroom where Robin was waiting.

Robin gazed at her with tired eyes and asked, "How are you?"

Looking in the mirror, Regina made eye contact with Robin's reflection. She sighed quietly and admitted, "I am scared. When I was surrounded by that darkness I felt my happiness waning. I felt all that goodness within me shrinking away. I felt the love I have for you morph into something… different. And you know the worst part? There was part of me, a deep part of me that was thriving in it. A part of me was smiling."

Robin's face shifted and he sat on the edge of the bed. He looked up to her with his exhausted eyes, "And how do you feel now?"

"Tired."

They said nothing else for the rest of the night. They changed for bed in stoic silence and crawled into bed like beaten down warriors. Regina thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but the moment she wrapped herself into her blankets she was gone.

 **Emma**

Nothing felt the same.

Everything felt different.

She didn't feel like herself.

Wait, who was she?

 _Emma_.

She was Emma? She didn't know. All she knew was that she was standing in a clearing in a battered brown cloak. Her hands were shaking. Why were her hands shaking?

 _They abandoned you._

That didn't seem right. The woman who thought her name might be Emma shook her head to clear the thoughts. Her blonde hair billowed down her shoulders and it distracted her. This hair seemed different.

 _Different from what?_

She wasn't sure. The being that thought she was named Swan took a step forward and felt a surge through her body. It pulsed, it radiated, and, in that moment, it was breathing. What was it?

 _Darkness._

Yes. That feeling was darkness but it was also…

 _Power._

Oh, it felt amazing. She had never felt this strength before. Or had she? She still wasn't sure where she came from. As she considered her existence and observed the new power within her, a dark pool of liquid filled around her feet. She found her voice and shouted, "No!"

Before she knew what she was doing, her hands were exposed and displacing the dark liquid with her magic.

 _Emma Swan. Dark One._

It all came rushing back to her in that moment. Who she was and why she was there. She withdrew her hands and the dark liquid continued to flood in around her feet. Emma tried to pick up her feet but they were stuck.

Emma sat there helplessly as the dark liquid crept up her legs. The liquid felt warm and inviting. It pulsed with the magic within her. This was part of the process, she determined.

The liquid covered her head to toe and asked her, "What do you want?"

Emma thought, "Nothing!" but it didn't believe her. It asked again. This time Emma thought, "To protect the ones I love."

It accepted this answer.

She felt the liquid rush over her and she felt like she was being cleaned and massaged. She felt her angry swell. She felt a growing presence of darkness and she tried to push it away. It pushed back.

"I don't want this!"

"You chose this."

In the distance Emma felt a tug near her belly button. She felt like she was being summoned but from a distance.

 _Too far._

The liquid washed off Emma's body and she felt her feet release. She was free to move and explore. She realized she was in the Enchanted forest quickly but she had never really known her way around. Emma had never spent enough time in her birth place to have a decent sense of directions.

There was a river nearby and Emma made her way to it. She didn't know what she was doing, but she did know she was thirsty.

Leaning over the river Emma caught a glimpse of herself. The look took her breath away,

Her blonde hair was coiled up in braids on her head like a crown. Her eyes were an icy silver lined with deep blank smudging. Her cheeks were contoured with something silver and metallic. Emma brought her hand to her cheeks and felt them. These felt sharper than her normal cheeks, firmer. The metallic color didn't rub off; it was like the color was part of her skin.

Her lips were a dark purple color with glitter accents. Touching her lips she saw her pointed black nails and she stepped away from the river. She looked down at her hands and saw no polish. She felt her cheeks again and they felt the way the usually felt. She didn't understand.

 _That was your Dark One form. Embrace the darkness, welcome the change._

Emma shook her head and waved her hands to no one. "Never. I will never accept this darkness. I will find a way to defeat the darkness."

The voice within her chuckled and she felt her magic sing out.

Suddenly, footsteps approached. Emma whipped her head to the sound and saw someone running towards her. She assumed it was someone in her family finding her.

A tall young woman appeared before her. She was holding her bow drawn and her shock of red hair all over the place. "What are you doing here?" Her Scottish accent was think and Emma placed it immediately.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I need some help."

The woman with the bow squinted at her and called out, "I'm not interested in your trickery, Dark One."

Emma stumbled back. The name hit her like a shot. She opened her mpouth to defend her self but the red haired woman loosed her arrow at Emma.


	2. Chapter 2

**Snow White**

Snow woke up and her body felt tired. Her bones ached and her heart was heavy. Her daughter was gone again and it hurt her inside. Emma ran up and let the darkness envelope her without even a second thought.

She thought back to the previous night in the street. Emma called to them to find her and save her. "You did it once before," Emma had yelled, "and I know you can do it again."

Somewhere within Snow's heart she was sure she could save her, but the odds seemed against them. She clutched to the glimmer of hope sparked in her. It was the thing that helped her continue in the face of adversity.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" It was David. He was watching her with a concerned stare. Snow wasn't sure how long he had been watching her, but he had been up before her. She didn't recall him slipping out of bed but he was holding coffee. "I couldn't sleep. I took Neal to Granny for the day. She said she would watch him until we are back."

"How long do you think this will take?"

"As long as we need. Emma needs us."

Snow kicked her legs off the bed and wished she could have hugged Neal before they left but it was too late. They were going on another adventure. "David..." she started.

"I know," he answered. "I feel the same way."

Snow nodded at her husband and knew he was telling the truth. They were both thinking the same thing:

It should have been one of them.

Emma had done so much for them and she deserved to not take every problem on. Snow should have saved Regina and let the darkness take her. Snow had stood there and watched her daughter take on the most evil known to their world. She just stood there.

"Stop torturing yourself," David said softly while handing her the cup of coffee. "She made a choice and is a hero for it. When everyone is a hero, its not about who is the most heroic. It is about who is heroic the fastest. Emma is both of us combined, so of course she is the one leaping first. We should be proud."

After a long sip of her coffee Snow asked, "Do you believe that?"

"I have to," he replied and took a long sip of his own coffee.

 **Hook**

His head hurt and his hook arm ached. It always ached when he was sad, which was always puzzling to him. He looked at himself in the dingy mirror in his room on the Jolly Rodger. The pirate staring back at him looked ragged. Hook wondered if he could put on enough eyeliner that he wouldn't look so sleep deprived. "No..." he said to no one in particular. "That kind of thinking will have you wearing lipstick in no time."

"Don't do that before Emma gets back. She would never forgive herself."

Hook spun around to see Regina standing in the doorway. She was half smiling but, to his pleasure, also looked worn down. He adjusted his hook and replied, "Don't worry, if I was going to experiment I would start with bronzer. Not being on the open seas has really cut down on my tan."

Regina rolled her eyes and quipped, "The fact that you know about bronzer but not Star Wars would not sit well with Henry. I will keep that tidbit to my self."

Despite himself, Hook smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was called and told the Apprentice is not doing well. We need to move fast."

Hook didn't hesitate. He grabbed his jacket and followed Regina off his ship.

They arrived in the Apprentice's room as Mother Superior cared for him. She looked to Hook and he could see her determination to care for her patient.

The Apprentice looked to Regina and reached out his hand. He was holding something in his shaking fingers. Regina quickened her pace to him and reached for what he handed her. It looked like a stick to Hook.

"A wand," Regina whispered.

The Apprentice nodded. He wheezed out, "This was given to me by Merlin. It contains light magic. It will help you save Emma but also get to her."

Hook sat down and rubbed his neck. He never understood any of this magic nonsense. On his ship it was just sailing and being a pirate. He missed it.

Regina flicked the wand and nothing happened. The Apprentice closed his eyes and muttered, "Only someone who wields both sides of the coin can use the wand."

Hook sighed loudly, "Both sides of what?" This vagueness would be the death of him, he knew it.

The Apprentice didn't answer. His arm went limp and the life went out of him.

Regina and Hook sat there in silence momentarily while Mother Superior quietly tended to the body. There was nothing to say in the presence of a death like this. Hook hoped he could be so lucky to die of old age. He hoped he would be surrounded by loved ones though, and not two relative strangers.

When they left Regina seemed flustered. She continuously flicked the wand to no avail.

"Do you know the definition of insanity, Regina?" Hook asked as they stepped into the morning sunlight.

Regina pocketed the wand and shot him a look that told him to shut up. He chuckled to himself and started walking towards Snow White and Charming's apartment. They would need to be updated on the situation and hopefully they knew what to do.

 **Regina**

Zelena. She knew it. Deep in her bones she knew the answer was Zelena and she hated the idea. She wanted to have her sister locked up for the rest of her green days. She also knew what the Charming's would say. They would want to spring her so she could help. They were disgustingly optimistic, but also would be acting in desperation. They never think clearly when one of their own is in danger.

She shook her head thinking about how Snow and Charming could make all the right decisions when it was their own lives in danger, but if it was someone they loved? They couldn't be counted on to think rationally.

Entering their apartment Regina could feel the difference in the mood. There was something covering the mood in the room but she couldn't place it.

Henry ran down the stairs, "Hey everyone! What's going on?"

Snow and Charming looked at Regina with a look of regret. They hadn't told Henry yet. Did they want to wait for her to tell him or were they just cowards? Snow broke eye contact instantly.

Cowards.

"Henry, you should sit down," Regina said, trying to not let her emotions bubble out.

The boy, always perceptive, tensed up and looked around, "Where is mom?"

He meant Emma.

"Well," she said, "we freed the Dark One curse from Gold and it wanted a new host."

"So it chose mom? Why?"

"It chose me, Henry. Your mo- Emma wouldn't let it take me and gave herself to it." Just saying it made her feel a rush a guilt.

That's what it was in the apartment. Guilt. It was hanging in the air. She watched Snow again and saw how she was disappointed in herself. Deep in Regina's mind she heard a chuckle. She shook the thoughts from her head and turned back to Henry who was trying desperately to process the information he was given.

She wasn't surprised when the next words out of his mouth were, "Okay. How do we save her?"

 **Zelena**

She had never been pregnant before so she wasn't sure what she should be able to feel yet. She was sure she could feel kicks but it had to be too early, right?

Zelena pressed her hands onto her stomach and sang quietly, "Some where over the rainbow, way up high..." She stopped herself and looked around her cell, embarrassed. Pregnancy hormones were messing with her brain.

"Okay my little sweet pea, I promise I will take care of you and raise you right. You'll have everything I never could. I promise."

In the distance, Zelena could hear keys and footsteps approaching. Was it lunchtime already? The thought of food made her stomach turn. Pregnancy was so beautiful.

Much to her surprise, Regina and Robin walked into her cell. Robin looked at her with mild disgust. Regina's face was lined rage.

"Sister!"

"Shut up, Zelena. I had no intention of letting you out of here other for doctors appointment and maybe your child's 10th birthday, if you were good. But unfortunately we need your help," Regina admitted.

Of course they need something, Zelena thought.

"What about my cuff?" Zelena asked. She waived her wrist at the two, flashing her magic cuff shackling her magic down.

Regina folded her arms and scoffed. She was always so touchy. "We will remove it for you to help us and then it goes back on."

"Where's the fun in that? Oh please, Regina. I just want to be free to have my baby and raise her in peace."

"Her?" Robin asked with a hint of hope.

Zelena shrugged, "Mother's intuition."

Regina opened the cell door and gestured for her to walk out. "Let's go."

"But I don't even know what you want!"

"You'll do it. Come on, we don't have time for this."

Regina led Robin and Zelena outside where Snow, Charming, Hook, and Henry were standing. They looked terrible.

Regina thrust an old wand in her face, "Take us to the Enchanted Forrest. Now."

"Why?" Zelena asked, but she didn't really care. Going to the Enchanted Forest would be amazing. She didn't care for this world much. Being green and surrounded by a world that made sense was more her speed.

Robin reached over and took the magic cuff off, "Emma is the Dark One now."

That was some juicy gossip! She was so taken aback by that sentence that she didn't even react to cuff being removed. She felt her magic pulse through her but she didn't act on it. That really was all the explanation she needed. She was sure she would get some exposition about how it occurred later so she kept her mouth shut.

"Alright, munchkins. Hold onto your ruby slippers!" Zelena snatched the wand and allowed it to bond with her. She felt her magic reach out and absorb the wand. The wand pumped her magic back and she felt like she could fly. She had never used magic like this before.

She summoned her portal and smiled, "Let's go Dark One hunting!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Emma**

Her hand was in front of her face before she knew what had happened. The world held still for a few seconds, just long enough for her to assess the situation. The scottish woman had fired and arrow directly at Emma's head.

Emma looked at her hand, thrust elegantly in front of her face. Her hand was steady and gracefully flicked to the side. Time resumed and the arrow evaporated into nothingness.

The red haired woman took a step back, but to her credit she grabbed another arrow. She had to be stopped. As the lass (Lass? Oh boy, Emma was picking up Hook-isms…) reloaded her bow, Emma's hand was again in front of her. It was like the movie Idle Hands, Emma thought. Her hand flicked again and the bow vanished.

"That's not fair, ya witch! At least gimme a chance ta defend myself!"

Emma paused and knew she was right and her hand flicked once more. The bow was now in Emma's hand. Looking down at the bow, Emma noticed the intricate details carved into the wood. Images of bears playing and eating were etched into the wood carefully. The wood felt sturdy and hummed in her fingers. There was a slight touch of magic radiating out of the bow but Emma couldn't place what it was. She looked up to the woman to see her stomping towards her.

Emma had never seen someone stomp in a dress, but it was amusing.

Laughing she held the bow out for the woman and it was quickly snatched from her grasp. "Sorry," Emma said, "I'm not in control of my powers right now. Not even really sure what I am capable of."

"Are they new powers or old powers? Did a witch hex you?" The woman stepped back, "Did the witch who hexed you have a lot of bear crap in her cottage?"

"No no, nothing like that," Emma replied. "Well, I was cursed but I took it on willingly. To save someone."

"Sounds pretty noble for someone who looks like you do," the woman retorted.

Emma looked at her hands again and saw her hands were manicured now. The color was blood red and the tips were pointed. Her skin shimmered dully in the sunlight. "That's new..." Emma muttered.

"Who are ya, any how?"

"I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

"Merida. Pleased to meet ya. Well, I'm not pleased. My mom taught me to be polite and didn't give me the script for talking politely to demons."

Emma rolled her eyes, "I'm not a demon."

"Yer not a witch, and yer not a demon? Pretty sure the Dark One is usually one, if not both of those things."

"I'm just a person."

"But you are the Dark One?"

Emma grimaced. That's the third time Merida had named her the Dark One and Emma wasn't sure she liked it. "Look, I am technically the Dark One, but I am fighting it and I'm going to destroy this power. I'm just not sure how."

Merida eyed her with suspicion but Emma could tell she was a trusting person who enjoyed helping people. Merida reminded her a little of her own mother, and she wasn't sure why.

Throwing the bow over her shoulder (maybe it was the bow that reminded her? No.. that couldn't be it…) Merida pointed up to a hill in the distance. "I am headed to the Hill of Stones with a Will-o-the-Wisp I found. Come with me and maybe you can find one too. It should be able to help you."

Emma's whole brain quaked and shouted _KILL HER AND TAKE THE BAG._ She recoiled at the feeling and stumbled. Merida reached out and helped her from falling. Without thinking Emma thrust her hand towards her and Merida's limp body flew through the air. "Oh no! I am so sorry!" Emma scrambled to her feet and rushed to Merida's side.

The red haired archer was unconscious. Emma looked to the bag she had strung over her back and her brain started chanting, _KILL. TAKE. NOW._

Shaking her head Emma wandered a few feet from Merida. "No, stop it. I'm not killing her." She covered her ears in a futile attempt to make the chanting stop.

"Whoa," she heard behind her. Emma spun around to see Merida slowly getting to her feet. "Yer good and crazy aren't ya? Sorry for trying to help, I'll be on my way."

Emma closed the gap between their bodies in a moment and had her hands around Merida's neck, "Don't leave," she hissed.

It all happened fast and she had no idea what was happening. Seeing the fear in Merida's eyes loosened her grip. Merida took a few stops backwards and rubbed her neck. Emma looked at her hands, sure they were shaking from the adrenaline. Nope, steady as a rock. Emma realized she might not be able to control the darkness. When she wanted things, her whole body reacted before her head could. Even her brain was turning on her. She had to fight harder, she thought. She had to be stronger.

Looking up, Emma saw that Merida was gone. How long had she been standing there panicking? It only felt like a second but time felt relative now. It was still day time but how much time had past? She had no idea what time it was here.

Maybe she needed to sleep?

Her brain chided at her that sleep was for the weak.

Great, Emma thought. She didn't even need to rest. Fantastic. Gazing to the hill Merida had pointed at, Emma decided to go there. Maybe she could apologize, or at the very least catch a Will-o-the-Wisp whatever that was.

She trudged through the woods and marshes all night to get to the Hill of Stones. She kept waiting to feel tired or hungry but it never came. She ate some berries she found just to feel somewhat normal.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Emma found herself at the base of the hill.

The hill was taller than it had seemed in the distance. It was crowned at the top with tall stones that reminded her of Stonehenge. Emma took in the sight with wonder and amazement. She would never tire of seeing things in this realm. It was all just slightly different than home but somehow more beautiful.

In her quiet awe, Emma heard a voice at the top of the hill.

Merida.

Emma was up the hill in moments. She saw Merida with a small, floating… jellyfish? That didn't seem right, but it was plain as day. The voice deep in her brain growled, " _YOU NEED THAT AND SHE HAS CLAIMED IT. SELFISH. KILL HER."_

Furious with Merida, Emma shouted. The ground beneath them shook and the stones rattled against one another. The sun dimmed as if it decided to go back under the horizon. Merida looked to her with fear and terror. She reached for her bow but her hands were shaking. The wisp dove into the leather bag it had been carried in. Emma felt wind on her face and her hair scoop up onto her head and stay there. She felt her cheeks tighten and her cloak shirk. "That wisp belongs to me now."

Merida was clawing at her throat and gagging. Emma saw her own hands clutching the air in front of her. She was choking the life from her, twenty feet away.

She strode quickly to the girl as the clawing became weaker. Once they were face to face Emma plunged her hand into the dying girl's chest and ripped her heart out.

The heart was glowing red but the beating was slow. It could be slower, Emma considered.

She began to push her pointed nails into the flesh of the heart.

Merida let out a weak, but prominent cry.

"SWAN. STOP!"

Everything shifted. Emma's hands fell to her side and she dropped the heart. Merida crumpled to the ground and she began sputtering for breath. The sun came back out and Emma saw Hook sprinting to her. She saw her parents, Regina, Robin, Zelena, and…

Henry.

He saw the whole thing. Emma saw it written on his face. She lost complete control and almost murdered an innocent in front of her son.

Emma burst into tears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Arthur**

He stood in by his horse and stroked her mane. She was a beautiful beast, his Llamrei, and he was going to take her out for a morning jaunt. He wanted to joust with the other knights but ever since he became king, they were skittish about harming him. Sure they humored him at first but slowly the refusals came in. Not clear refusals, oh no. He was a king. They would never tell him no. They made up excuses and claimed chores to be done. Arthur may not be the smartest man in the kingdom, but he wasn't completely dense either.

He hopped up into his saddle, his blade snug at his side. His great shame.

Arthur trotted Llamrei out of the sables and into the morning sunshine. She snorted when she reached the fields and began to prance. She was happy to be out and so was he. They didn't get out as much as they once did. He had been king for… how long had it been? A long, long time? He couldn't be sure of the time line anymore.

Llamrei broke through the dew covered grass and huffed out in pleasure. Arthur took in a deep breath to take in the day.

No sooner had he exhaled, he heard a shout from behind them, "Your majesty! Sir! Quick!"

He didn't need to signal his steed, she turned quickly to face the yelling. It was a few footmen riding hell for leather towards him. Both of them were attempting to wave while their horses galloped, but they had trouble keeping steady. They were clearly young, that's why they had the early shift. None of the older knights got up before mid morning unless there was a war.

The two boys skid to a halt in front of him and started jabbering at once. Arthur held his hand up and said calmly, "One at a time." He pointed at the blonde of the two, "You. Go."

The boy's eyes widened and he tried to calm himself. "Sir, the ones you waited for are here."

"What? I wasn't expecting anyone."

"You said to tell you when they were here!"

"Who?"

"Them!"

Arthur looked to the freckle face brunet boy and gestured for him to clarify. The boy looked him in the eyes and said simply, "The Hill of Stones."

He wasn't sure if he waited for the lad to get the word "stones" completely out before Arthur himself was tearing through the fields and testing Llamrei's legs. He was anxious and his mind was racing. His horse whinnied and snorted as she bolted.

At the stables several of his knights gathered, waiting for him. They looked at him with grave resolve and in spite of it all, he grinned. The knights had long assumed they prophecy would not come to fruition. So many other things had not played out, they had become cynical. Arthur still believed. He knew the Savior was here and she would save the kingdom. He knew they would know how to solve his greatest problem. Well, two greatest problems, but Arthur assumed one would not be possible without the other.

"My good men! Today is a good day!"

The men cheered.

"Today we will get our answers and fix this kingdom!"

And then, Arthur, King of Camelot, held aloft his broken sword named Excalibur and shouted, "Today we free Merlin! Today we finish what we started!"

 **Hook**

They landed in the Enchanted Forest with a thud. That blasted green witch insisted on traveling in a tornado. Everyone landed on their backs except for Zelena. Of course, she was used to getting around that way. "I still think taking the Jolly Rodger would have been a better plan. At least we would have had shelter and maybe some food."

"No one wants to be cooped up on that splinter factory," the witch quipped. "Plus my way is much more dramatic and exciting."

Regina slowly stood up and dusted off her pants. She had come a long way from the evil queen but dirt was still not her style. When she was finished she reached for Robin to help him to his feet. Robin didn't seem to mind the dirt, but Regina dusted his shoulders off.

Snow and Charming were on their feet quickly and assessing the situation. Those two were endlessly amusing to him. Together for so long, it seemed like they were one person. The boy, Henry was bounding around taking everything in. Ah, the eyes of a young man.

"So how do we figure out where she is?" Snow asked.

"Did someone grab something of hers? We can use a locator spell," Regina said.

"I think we may be over thinking this," Hook said, brandishing the Dark One dagger, "We can find Emma with this." Saying her name made the dagger pulse.

There were a few mumbles before Snow said, "I don't like this. Summoning her makes her seem…"

"...not human," Charming finished.

Hook didn't disagree, but he needed to find her. He closed his eyes and thought about Emma. The dagger pulsed. He could almost see her standing before him. The more he thought about her the clearer the image became.

She was standing on a hill. There were tall stones and a woman with fiery hair. Emma looked desperate and confused.

"I see her!" Hook shouted. He kept his eyes closed and began describing the scenery to everyone. No sooner had he mentioned the hill and the stones did he hear Snow exclaim, "We are so close! It's right there!"

Hook's eyes opened and he saw Snow pointing. He didn't wait. He was running towards the hill. As he ran he knew he could save her. She was too strong to let this take her quickly. The darkness was powerful but she would fight it. Maybe she wasn't just the Savior to break the curse of Storybrooke. Maybe she was also the Savior who would defeat the Dark One curse. He wondered what it must be like to go through all of this and still be normal at the end of the day. As Hook ran he knew Emma wouldn't be the same after whatever was happening to her. He just hoped the Emma that survived would still love him.

The whole earth shifted below his feet and Hook stumbled. A dark cloud settled over the area and he could hear a growling shout from the hill top.

Swan.

He thought he had been running as fast as he could before, but hearing the demonic way Emma's voice sounded, he began sprinting. He was up the hill in nearly three strides and came to a screeching halt at the sight.

She had a heart in her hand and the lass with the fiery hair was clutching her chest. The poor thing was on her knees and sobbing. Her hands where on her chest in pain, her knuckles white gripping her clothing.

His voice escaped him before he knew what he would do when she turned her attention to him, whatever she was right now. "SWAN!"

In that moment the darkness melted out of everything; the sky, the air, and the presence in Emma just vanished. She caught eyes with him and looked around. When she saw Henry she fell to her knees beside the red haired lass and sobbed loudly.

It took Hook three strides to made it to the top of the hill, it only took two to close the gap between he and Emma. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed as hard as he could. Her body felt different. She used to be warm, like a belly full of rum. Now she felt cold, like a wintery morning on the sea. The air around her seemed frosty as well. She was rigid in his embrace. This was not his Emma anymore. His resolve to save her increased.

When he let go she looked up at him with big, glassy eyes. Her appearance was very different, too. Her hair was in a braided mess above her head. Her eyes were ice and that matched her fierce cheekbones. They looked like they could cut glass now. And her skin..

Crocodile skin.

Not gold, but silver. It glinted in the morning light in a very unsettling way.

"What's happened to me?" Emma whispered to him.

Hook swallowed and did the only thing he knew how to do, "Suffering a little amnesia are we, luv?" Make a joke.

It didn't work. She ignored his comment and looked around to the rest of the group. She seemed to be trying to come up with words, but nothing was coming to her.

The boy approached her and hugged her gently. "It's okay, mom. We are here now. You won't be alone in this. We are going to save you."

Snow and Charming looked distressed. They were trying to hide it but they were failing spectacularly.

It was unsurprising to Hook that Regina looked the most settled out of the crew. Even Robin and Zelena seemed curious and mildly empathetic to the scene. Regina had an eyebrow cocked. It was as if this was something she'd seen a thousand times before. He had no idea how a single person could be so put together after what they just witnessed.

As Emma and Henry embraced, Robin and Hook turned their attention to the red haired lass. Hook reached to check her pulse and her eyes shot open. She quickly assessed the situation and was scrambling to get to her feet as fast as she could. Snow's attention was caught by the scene and she raced to the girl's side. "No no no! We are here to help! We won't hurt you!"

Before anyone blinked the lass had her bow loaded and drawn. "Aye, that's what the Dark One said. Anyone running along this amount of evil cannot be right in the head. I don't need anyone's help."

"I'm sure that's not true," Regina said lightly. She held up the lass's heart in her hand. She was holding in her hand so gingerly, it almost looked like she would drop it. Hook had to remember that at one point Regina had hearts in her hand on a daily basis. "Would you like be to put this back in for you or can I add this to my collection."

The lass pulled her bow string back farther and aimed at Regina. Hook stepped in between them and waved his arms, "Whoa whoa whoa, lets all calm down. Regina, the last thing she needs is to be more afraid. Let's put the Evil Queen away for a bit. And lass, put the bow down. You are clearly outnumbered. There is no way you are using a bow and arrow to neutralize all of us."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," she said, speaking into the arrow against her cheek.

"Hey!" Regina said. "How is that any better than what I said to her?"

Hand in the air, Snow intervened. "You are all terrible at comforting a girl who just stared death in the face and is surrounded by strangers. Hi. I'm Snow White and this is my husband, Prince Charming." Snow gestured to Regina, "That's Regina and her boyfriend Robin Hood. Over there is Captain Hook. Oh, and that's Zelena."

"I'm Merida," she responded, not lowering her arrow. "So I come to this area of the Enchanted forest and get the all-star welcoming crew? The Dark One, three legendary heroes, three villains, and whoever the boy is?" No one said anything and Merida loosened her bow arm only slightly. She glanced at Hook and said, "Do ya have anymore heroes in the crew or will they be arriving late?"

Over their shoulder they heard horns and a man call out, "Make way for the crowned King of Camelot, King Arthur!"

"Oy, already!" Merida shouted putting her bow down.

 **Merlin**

 _(Sang to the tune of Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee from Grease)_

 _(Don't question a great wizard)_

Look at me, I'm just a tree

Brimming with great greenery!

Won't end up freed til a few tears are shed

But right now I'm just a tree!


	5. Chapter 5

**Regina**

Watching them haul her sister into the dungeon was a little too exciting for Regina. Somewhere in her heart of hearts she knew that rejoicing over Zelena being dragged away with a magic cuff on her arm was the slightest bit petty. But Zelena was beyond reprehensible. What she did to Robin could never be forgiven.

Maybe they would forget she was in their cells and she would spend the rest of her green ass days down there. Wouldn't that be tragic?

She reminded herself to stop smiling.

Arthur had taken them to his castle. Meager by her standards but she built hers with magic. She assumed this one was built by real hands over years of hard labor. There was a certain charm to people doing things by hand in a land full of magic.

Everyone was given their own rooms and a wardrobe stocked with clothing so they didn't stand out like bad apples in the court. Apparently there was a ball being thrown in their honor later that evening. Against all odds, Regina was thrilled for the chance to be at a ball. She hadn't attended one in, well, decades. Getting fancied up and people fawning all over you was Regina's kind of party.

None of them quite understood why they were here yet, though. Arthur said they would hold court later that day to discuss the situation at hand.

Everyone could sense the fear coursing through Emma. They seemed to want to deal with her and hopefully that didn't mean killing her for being the Dark One. Traveling to the castle, Hook gave Emma her dagger back discreetly. Moments later Emma rode her horse next to Regina and slid the dagger to her. Emma looked at her with her icy eyes and said, "I don't trust myself. But I trust you to do what needs to be done, when it needs to get done." She didn't wait for Regina to reply, Emma just slowed her horse down and fell back in with her parents.

Alone in her room, Robin was out investigating the grounds, Regina held the dagger in her hands. Could she kill Emma if it need done?

Easily.

But after would be the tricky part. Henry would never forgive her for killing Emma, no matter what she had done or was planning on doing. That was a fact. Regina hid the dagger in the chest of linens at the foot of their bed. She knew she wouldn't need it because Emma was a product of Snow White and Prince Charming. If anyone was going to find the easy way out of something, it was Emma Swan.

What a bitch.

There was a knock at her bedroom door and Regina bid them to enter. To her shock, Snow came in and shut the door firmly. She looked upset and troubled. Regina didn't blame her, if Regina witnessed Henry about to crush someone's heart, it would be troubling.

"She gave you her dagger?" Snow said bluntly.

"Well," Regina replied, "no time for formalities when there is a new Dark One afoot, I see."

Snow crossed to the window and clentched her fists, "Now is not the time. You know this is serious."

Waving a hand dismissively, Regina scoffed, "Emma will be fine and you know it. I know it is programmed in you to hope even when there is none to grasp at. We just have to protect her from Arthur and whatever his plan is. Luckily, people rarely throw big celebrations before making a kill. He isn't that arrogant."

"What if he is?"

"Then I will just have to kill him first. I assure you that in a fight of a fireball versus a blade, the fireball will always win." Regina's fingertips felt hot for a moment while she thought about her fireball powers. It really was her favorite piece of magic.

Snow wasn't convinced.

Sighing inwardly, Regina motioned for Snow to have a seat. "Look," Regina said, "I know this is terrible. The Dark One curse isn't exactly small potatoes. But this is Emma we are talk about. She will overcome this."

"You saw what I saw, Regina. That was not my daughter on that hilltop. That was a monster. In that moment I saw Rumpelstiltskin in my daughters body. Do I know she will defeat this? Yes, somewhere deep down knows she will be okay. But that doesn't mean it doesn't scare me. I've never been this frightened."

The truth in Snow's words chilled Regina to her core. Regina had been ready to let this all just play out and be over in a day or two, but Snow had a mother's intuition. This problem was a big one, even the Charmings didn't have a way out.

Deep in the back of Regina's mind she wondered if they would have been this concerned if the curse had taken her over instead. Would they have found the wand and had Zelena transport them here? Or would they have said, "Whelp, that's that! Who want onion rings?" and carried on with their lives?

 **Hook**

She wasn't saying much as they settled into their room in Arthur's castle. Her appearance was still shocking to him every time he looked at her. Her hair being coiled in braids and gathered on top of her head, while beautiful, wasn't how he was used to seeing her. Her long flowing hair was always his favorite. Picturing her on the Jolly Roger, hair blowing in the sea air made his legs weak. Her eyes were almost impossible to keep eye contact with. Their iced over color was harsh and they seemed to bore a hole through anything they looked at like a cannon ball through an enemy ship.

"Swan?" Hook ventured, trying to sound light. "Are you hungry? I'm sure this place has a fantastic kitchen somewhere. All those knights seemed to be growing out of their armor in the quiet peacetime lulls. Would you want to come find some grub?"

Her movements seems more stilted. She moved quick, but not in a natural fluid way. Her eyes pierced him, they looked sad. "Sure," was all she said.

"Right. Well, lets go!"

They left the room in awkward silence and wandered around for a while. Neither of them were really looking for the kitchen, and Hook knew that. They managed to find their way outside into the back of the castles courtyard. It was beautiful and secluded. Hook assumed there were guards everywhere but it still felt like they were alone. "Here seems like a good place."

"For what," Emma said, looking around.

"For you to talk to me about what's going on. I need to be able to gauge what's going on with you and I can't when you are all closed up."

She looked at him with those damned eyes and almost cried, "I don't know." She gathered her self for a moment and continued, "It's like there is me, and there is the Dark One. They are fighting for my soul right now. I feel in control until I have some emotions and they I can't handle it. That's what happened on the hill. I felt like there was a way to fix this and it was being taken away, the Dark One came roaring out of me and I couldn't stop myself."

Hook nodded and said nothing. She kept going, "When it happened I almost felt like I was outside, looking in at a crazy person being crazy. But also like I was that person and I was happy with my choices. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I would have killed that girl."

"I don't believe that," Hook replied. It was true. I don't think anyone thought Emma would do murder someone in cold blood.

"Then you are blind. I killed Cruella before this all started, why would the Dark One curse make me less likely to murder?" He could see her brain spiraling out of control.

The courtyard began to darken and Hook felt a chill run through him. She was losing ground to the curse again.

Hook grabbed her shoulders, "Swan, listen to me. Cruella was a threat to Henry and you protected him. No one blames you for that. No one blames you for almost killing Merida. These are special circumstances! Do you hear me?"

The iced over eyes locked on to him and dug into his brain. He did everything he could to keep her stare. The courtyard brightened again and Emma blinked a few times. She was back, if only for the time being. Hook realized in that moment that Emma would be having these spells more and more, and closer together. That is, until they start running together and Emma Swan lost control to the Dark One. Hook had to find a way to keep Dark Swan contained.

 **Henry**

There were times when Henry regretted not being a normal kid in a normal life. This was one of those times. If he had gone to a regular school, he would probably know a lot more about King Arthur than he did. Kids read about him, right? He didn't know, and he had no internet to check.

He did have his iPod though and it was fully charged. What else could a young Author need?

As Henry got himself dressed for the meeting with King Arthur he thought about his story book back at home. For some reason he hadn't thought to bring it. He had read that book front to back more times than he could remember. Nothing about where they were currently. Camelot was new to him, and he felt useless.

As he fiddled with the weird clothing they left out for him, he wondered how long they would be there. Would he have time to train to be a knight? Henry had one tool at his disposal, and it was writing. He needed to learn to fight because it seemed like an important skill recently.

Yeah yeah, the pen is mightier than the sword. Whatever. Couldn't he do both?

He knew neither of his moms would go for it so he would have to seek training out quietly.

Well, he reconsidered, maybe his Dark One mom would be on board now that she was so powerful.

Oh boy, he thought. He was glad they never had big holiday gatherings or having two strong headed and immensely powerful, magical moms would make Thanksgiving really strange and tense.

Henry, like he often did, wondered what day of the year it was and how close Thanksgiving actually was. More often than not, most of them didn't know what month it was, let alone the day. And the year? Forget it!

Henry laughed to himself realizing that his family was not beholden to the laws of time and he felt very honored to be a part of it.

His mom (Regina) came to get him and walk him down to meet the court. She took a look at him and smiled slightly before readjusting every part of his clothing. He knew he should have waited for instructions. He was just happy to distinguish the pants from the shirt.

"Don't I get a cool hat or something?" he asked.

His mom fixed his hair and said, "No hats when you are being presented to royalty. Not unless you are a commoner. And you, Henry, are not common."

In the hall, everyone met together to walk into court as a family. Henry loved this. Everyone together made him feel safe and secure, even with his other mom possessed by darkness.

As they walked Henry contemplated his mom's new curse. She looked so different and the air around her felt strange. She was like a vampire now, but with the glittery Dark One skin.

Heh, glittery vampires. That would be so dumb, Henry thought.

He was excited to meet with the King. Henry wasn't sure what the meeting would be about or why the King and his knights knew they would arrive.

Henry's grandparents, Snow and Charming, seemed worried. Actually, everyone seemed worried for some reason. They wouldn't tell Henry what was wrong earlier, so he just assumed it was exhaustion. They would never keep him out of the loop.

They were welcomed into the court with thunderous applause and Henry grinned. He even waved, he felt like a rock star. The rest of his family looked shocked and taken aback. They hadn't expected a Hero's Welcome. He didn't know why, they were all heroes. They should always expect this kind of welcome.

Before the King, who was also grinning and clapping, they bowed to him. The women curtsied in their dresses. The King waved his hand and the court settled. He opened his arms to the family and said, in a booming voice for his court to hear, "Welcome, my friends! Your arrival was prophesied! Our path of darkness draws to an end, and you shall lead us back to the light!"

The court roared in approval and his family nervously smiled while looking back and forth at one another. Why were they so confused? They were heroes of the realm! Of course they were going to fix their problems. His family could be so thick sometimes.

The King silenced the crowd again then boomed, "We welcome the Savior of the Enchanted Forest to save our humble kingdom! Please, step forward and let me gaze upon our hero."

The whole family turned to his mom, Emma. She shifted from one foot to another, unsure of herself. She glanced at Henry and he motioned for her to step forward. Maybe saving them would break the curse! Clearly!

She broke eye contact with him and looked to his other mom. They exchanged words silently through eye contact.

When they broke eye contact, his mom stepped forward and declared, "I am the Savior."

Wait, wrong mom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Emma**

Arthur was leading them to Merlin. He and his knights kept mentioning that Merlin was trapped somewhere, but Emma assumed they meant captured or in another realm. The way they were walking seemed as if Merlin was somewhere in a castle.

Looking over, Emma saw Regina striding along with Robin and Henry. She slid over to her and asked quietly, "Why did you say you were the Savior?"

Regina cocked an eyebrow at her and replied, "You looked like a trapped mouse. I figured you had enough to deal with. Pretending to be your old self may be difficult for you, seeing as you have one of the oldest curses known to this land coursing through your body. Maybe I was doing you a favor."

Her blood ran hot through her veins at Regina's accusation. A favor? Taking her rightful title away from her? And calling her a mouse?

 _Kill her._

Emma shook the idea out of her head, unsure of where it was coming from. Killing Regina wasn't the answer.

 _Maybe just hurt her a little, so she knows her place._

Shaking her head again, Emma fell back from Regina. She was trying to gather her thoughts when a hand grabbed her by the arm. It was her father. "Emma, how are you doing?"

"Peachy," Emma retorted.

He looked at her with a disapproving father face and replied, "You know what I meant. Your new look makes everyone a little afraid of you, but I see you are scared inside. I see Emma panicking while the Dark One takes hold."

"I'm not panicking!" Emma shouted. A few of the corridor lamps burnt out and her voice echoed through the stone walls. The entire caravan stopped and turned towards her. Emma waved her hand dismissively, "Sorry. Didn't realize how awesome the acoustics were in here!" They all paused but then turned back to continue their way to Merlin.

Her dad said nothing after that but was whispering to her mom. They look concerned.

 _They've lost hope in you. It's only been a few hours!_

No no, Emma thought. There was no way they had lost hope. They were positive in the face of adversity no matter what the cost. Plus, she was their daughter. They would never doubt her abilities.

 _They are afraid of you._

She considered that and thought it was probably true. Having all this dark magic made her powerful and strong. Stronger than both of them and probably stronger than Regina.

 _That's why Regina is undermining you and taking your title. Keeping you down._

That made complete sense! Regina was always envious of Emma's relationship with Henry, the town, and everything she came in contact with. Now that Emma was all powerful, Regina was probably afraid she would now have the power to take everything from her.

Maybe she would.

 **Hook**

They were standing in front of a tree.

All things considered it was a very large tree, but it looked like a pretty normal tree to Hook.

Was the wizard trapped under the tree? Maybe there was a cage in the middle. Hook looked around at the group and they all seemed to be nodding along as Arthur explained that the great wizard, Merlin, was magically trapped inside this large tree.

Things like this never happened at sea, Hook thought, rolling his eyes.

He didn't exactly care about the plight of this wizard currently. He was very concerned about Emma. She seemed to be crumbling with every second. He thought she would have a long time before the darkness harnessed her, but it was looking more and more like she would be lost by nightfall.

She had shouted in the corridors on their way to the tree wizard. He had watched her every moment since and saw her face harden. She kept looking around like she suspected them all of nefarious acts. She began to stand straighter and avoided looking at any of them.

Except Henry.

She eyed the boy like a vulture. Hook wasn't sure if she was going to eat him or poof him into non-existence. It was tough to read.

"Anyway," Arthur shouted to the group, "Merlin has been trapped in this tree for decades. Maybe longer. He prophesied my retrieval of Excalibur and he prophesied your arrival. I don't ask that you free him this moment because I know it cannot be easy magic to free him. We know this because we have had every magical practitioner near and far come to try to free him. Only the Savior can free him."

Hook looked to Emma. Her shoulders were drawn back and were almost straining. She looked like she might rip in half with tension. Regina stepped forward and drew Hook's attention from Emma. Regina approached the tree and laid a hand on it gently. He wasn't aware she could do anything gently. Nothing happened, although he wasn't sure anything was supposed to happen. She turned and said to Arthur, "Give us a few days. I'm sure I can free your wizard."

The King looked overjoyed and thrust a hand out to shake Regina's hand. As they shook, Arthur leaned in and whispered something into her ear. Whatever it was, Regina looked relatively nonplussed. She simply nodded and returned to Robin's side.

Meanwhile Emma still appeared to be spiraling into darkness. Her icy eyes were straight at the tree, and even from the side Hook could see they were hallow. All he wanted to do was embrace her and tell her it would be alright. He wasn't sure she wanted to be touched…

...or lied to.

 **Regina**

"He said only the Savior can break the spell!" Robin said in hushed alarm. They had made it back to their private chambers.

"I know. I heard." Regina closed the windows in the room since it was beginning to feel drafty.

""Well you aren't the Savior!"

"Again. I know!" She looked at Robin for a moment with her lips pursed but the fight went out of her quick. She saw he was worried, not doubtful. "Look, I am on a better path now. I might be able to do something. Plus I have the most knowledge about magic of anyone here."

Robin sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at her with his big eyes, full of care. "I know," he said softly, "I just don't want you to get outed."

"Please, who is to say I am not the Savior?"

"Anyone who realizes you were actually the Evil Queen. Your kingdom wasn't far from here. People fled villages under your reign and you know where they came? Camelot."

This gave Regina pause. She hadn't thought of that but it made sense. There were only a few places to flee to back then. Camelot was one, DunBroch was the other and no one would flee there. That place was full of bears and people you could barely understand.

"Well, I'm sure I will be fine. It's been a long time since I was the Evil Queen, I'm sure no one will recognize me." As long as she kept her hair loose and her shoulders unpadded, no one would know her old shame.

Robin stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I love you for who you are but that does include your past. I know who you were then, it seems like you might be forgetting the extent of your damage."

That cut her deep. They had never talked about her Evil Queen days. There were references here and there but they never really chewed the fat on that topic. "I am trying to forget about those days."

"You leveled villages and tore apart families. People don't forget things like that. I know you want nothing more than to atone for your past, but that means facing the truth of it." Robin gazed into her eyes with a hint of hesitation on his face. He was clearly waiting for her to explode. She didn't blame him because if anyone else had said that to her, she would have fireballed them into the next dimension. But the way Robin said it, it gave her pause. He wasn't accusing her of anything, he was making her face the mirror.

"You love me even though you know all the terror I spread?"

Robin took a breath and said, "It's something I will be okay with, when you are."

The conversation went silent for a while as they prepared for the ball that evening. Regina often glanced to Robin to see what he was thinking. He gave nothing away, he was calmly getting ready in silence. His words had shaken her. She was so ready to become a new person but she never apologized for her past. She may have apologized to Snow, wait, had she? She couldn't recall.

Well, that's just great, she thought. You want everyone to forgive you and you aren't sure who you've apologized to. She wasn't really positive she knew how to apologize properly.

As she contemplated her past and future, she got ready for the ball. She curled her hair and let it hang loose on her shoulders. She picked a light blue dress from the wardrobe that had been provided to her. She slipped on the matching shoes and used her magic to put on some silver jewelry. Looking in the mirror she looked familiar but wasn't sure why. This was not a common look for her since her days before being queen.

There was a knock at the door and Robin went to see who was there. It was the Charmings. Snow looked to her and she smiled so big her face split in half. "Oh Regina you look-"

"I know I know."

"-like Cinderella."

Damnit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Emma**

Standing before the Merlin tree in her ball gown, Emma fidgeted with her hands. She was not used to how they felt, or maybe she wasn't used to how her fingers interpreted touch anymore. Everything she touched felt alive, and all the textures were elevated. She was beginning to see the cracks in everything around her. If something had a weakness, she could see it emerge. It troubled her.

Sometimes.

The dress she chose was a navy blue ball gown, highlighted with sky blue trimming. The dress had originally been all the dark blue, but she waved her hand and added the light touches. She was worried the color looked too evil on her, especially given her new appearance.

That was another annoyance: her hair. She was unable to do anything with it. The crown of braids was a permanent fixture atop her head. She couldn't comb it out or even magic is down. The hair was determined to stay the way it was. Not sleeping afforded her more hours in the day, but apparently none of tat should be wasted fiddling with her hair.

Emma suspected Dark Ones weren't typically women.

She stood there for what seemed like hours, contemplating the plight of Merlin. Why was he there? Why could only a Savior free him?

The thought of Regina made her hands clench into fists. That woman just couldn't let her have one moment could she? They needed the Savior, and Emma was the Savior. Dark One or not, she was the Savior still. Right?

Emma approached the tree carefully, looking at all the long branches and the thick foliage. It was a handsome tree, she concluded. Once she stood at the base of the trunk, she reached forward and laid her hand on the bark, just as Regina had.

The moment her skin made contact with the bark she was flooded with visions flickering in her mind like a bad TV flashback.

She saw Hook bleeding on the ground.

She saw Henry desperately trying to revive him.

In her vision Henry turned to her and pointed, soundlessly shouting something at her.

She then saw Regina and Robin, embraced in death in a field.

Her parents were trapped cage. They were being consumed by flames.

She saw Hook again, he was carrying Henry's limp body and backing away from her in fear.

Regina was behind him, throwing fireballs at her in a blind rage as her mother tried to subdue her.

The vision changed to her mom and dad struggling to swim through the ocean to the Jolly Roger.

Hook was on the bow yelling noiselessly for something. Henry was furiously writing in his book.

Fog clouded her vision and cleared to show Hook with a great sword in his hand covered in blood. His eyeliner streaming down his face.

Emma pulled her hands from the bark, terrified. What was that, she thought.

 _Images of the future._

No, that can't be right. She saw many different things. Those couldn't all be the future.

 _Possible ends to multiple paths._

Emma shook her head of it, not believing. No. She refused them all. None of the things she saw were futures she would allow to happen.

She paused and looked around. Why did she see those? Was this a Dark One power or was it the tree?

 _The tree. Merlin spoke to you._

Emma made a face. She was sure she was going crazy. She was making peace with the voice in her head talking to her, but she drew the line at a tree speaking to her. Especially through terrible visions. None of those things would happen, they seemed more like fears than reality. She turned on a heel to go inside before anyone noticed she was missing. She saw Hook standing behind her, near the entrance to the garden.

He looked concerned.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound casual when she approached him. "You ready to dance and drink?"

Hook looked at her and she could see something working behind his eyes. He was trying to find answers to something. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "C'mon, luv. Let's go show these tin cans how to party." He offered her his arm and she graciously linked arms with him.

This felt familiar and safe. She was glad for it. Although she couldn't help notice how tense he seemed.

They could hear the revelry before they saw the ballroom. This kingdom had been waiting a long time for them it seemed. Emma still wasn't sure why it was so important to get Merlin free. The kingdom didn't seem broken or in danger. What was the rush and what was the pressing need?

Well, other than freeing the poor old man trapped in a bark prison.

When they got to the doors there was a man with a scroll and when he saw them he grinned. "Shall I announce you?"

Hook grinned from ear to ear, "Yes please."

The doors were swung open, the commotion was in full volume. The man took a few steps in and declared with a booming voice, "May I present-" the room fell silent and all eyes turned to them, "-Ms Emma Swan and Mr Killian Jones!"

Cheers erupted like a volcano through the room. Emma saw they were at the top of a staircase that led to the main ballroom. Her mother and father were below staring up at her, brimming with pride. She felt like royalty.

 _Your parents are Snow White and Prince Charming. You are royalty._

Hook leaned to her, speaking into her ear, "I've never been called Mister before. I may be worthy enough for your arm after all."

"Was there any doubt?" she teased. This too felt safe and familiar. She wondered if they would ever have more than five minutes of normalcy in their lives.

 _Your parents are Snow White and Prince Charming. No, you won't._

Emma suppressed the need to frown at the thought so Hook wouldn't know what was going on in her head. Somehow he might be concerned if she mentioned the voice that was patronizing her.

They descended the stairs and met with her parents. Her mother had tears in her eyes and embraced her. "You look so beautiful. Even though..." she stopped herself from finishing. It was the big herd of elephants in the room. The herd of elephants they were hiding from Camelot. She was the Dark One still and it would need dealt with eventually. But for now, they danced.

Hook was a wonderful dancer and swung her around the dance floor with ease. "I always forget what a great dancer you are."

"Well, most pirates can't dance. You know, with the peg legs and all."

Emma smiled and felt warm inside for the first time since she sacrificed herself to the curse.

King Arthur came to them and introduced his stunning wife, Guinevere. "Pleased to meet you," Emma said as she curtsied. Hook kissed her hand and the King's wife for a dance, which she happily accepted. Arthur looked to Emma and held his hand out, "It seems my wife was swept away by your pirate. Let's not let them have all the fun shall we?" Emma took his hand and allowed him to lead her in a dance.

Arthur was not a bad dancer but he felt different than Hook did holding her. Something seemed strange. While he seemed calm and collected, he arms felt tense and he seemed not to make eye contact with her much.

 _He knows you're secret._

No, that can't be. No one knows.

 _Merida named you the moment she saw you. He knows._

Then why hasn't he said anything?

 _Search your feelings. You know it to be true._

Emma ignored her stupid voice and tried to enjoy herself. It was tough but she managed to put all the thought in the back of her brain. She allowed herself a few more dances with the knights. She found her self laughing at their jokes, smiling at their compliments. It was nice.

Hook joined her again after a while saying, "Alright, back off men. I'll start getting jealous here soon!"

"Why would you be jealous?"

"What does a pirate have to offer than a knight cannot tenfold?"

"Cruises in big wooden ships? Also I hear tale of peg leg dancing that would be hard to turn down."

"Ah, I suppose you are right, Swan. Pirates really are the superior men." He dipped her then kissed her.

The warmth she felt before grew within her. The voice that taunted her seemed faint and distant.

The room grew silent around her. Emma romantically thought it must be the world tuning out around her because of love. Nope, someone was being announced.

Emma and Hook unlocked from their embrace smiling. They looked to the main doors to see Regina, Robin, and Henry entering.

"May I present Sir Henry Mills, the Author!"

Cheers erupted. Henry had a look of confusion on his face but smiled nonetheless entering the room. How did they know he was the Author? Based on his reaction he obviously didn't tell them.

She glanced to Regina seeing that she was also troubled by this knowledge. They made eye contact and Regina cocked an eyebrow at her. Emma shook her head to indicate she as also unaware. A look of fierceness washed over Regina. She was in Mama Bear mode, even Robin noticed.

"May I present-" the announcer started again. Regina and Robin straightened up for their entrance. "-Sir Robin of Locksley-" Robin was holding in a smile at being labeled 'Sir', "- and Ms Regina Mills, the Savior!"

Cheers erupted, louder than the rest. The warmth Emma had been feeling died. It was replaced with jealousy and spite.

 _Those should have been your cheers._

Yes, they should have. Emma clenched her fists and Hook leaned to her, "It's okay, luv. I'm sure the boy told them." Hook was one emotion behind, but she did let him know that.

"NO!" a shout ripped through the crowd and silence washed over the room. Regina and Robin stopped halfway down the steps at the sound. A man burst forward with a sword drawn and pointing up the stairs.

Arthur made his way to the man and declared, "You dare draw a sword in this celebration? To the woman who came to save the kingdom?"

The man looked to Arthur with a look of pity, "You blind man. This is not the Savior." His eyes slowly shifted to Regina, "That is no Savior on those stairs. That's the Evil Queen."

With that, chaos gripped the room.

 **Merlin**

 _(quietly hums Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Regina**

She tried to remain as calm as possible even though her heart was beating loud enough she was sure Robin could hear. Hell, everyone probably could for a moment when the room was silent. But now there was shouting and shoving. Everyone had lost their minds at the outing of the Evil Queen.

What was she supposed to do? Should she fireball the little weasel that named her?

No, that would probably make things worse.

She debated what she should say to the crowd before a riot started but Snow's voice rang out above the rabble. "People of Camelot! You have nothing to fear from her! She is no longer the Evil Queen!"

Regina held back from rolling her eyes because she knew Snow wasn't helping. After the talk she had with Robin, Regina knew she needed to face this head on.

Someone in the crowd lunged at Snow calling her a traitor. Charming dove between them and protected his wife. Noble as always.

Regina found her voice before she had the words, "I confess, I was once the Evil Queen and I am deeply sorry for the trouble I caused."

"Trouble?" a woman shouted, "You burned my village to the ground and I lost my family in the flames."

"You took my wife and children when I wouldn't give you information about her!" shouted a man while pointing at Snow.

The chanting started. "Traitor, traitor, traitor." Charming was being overpowered. Regina and Robin sprinted down the steps to save her as the lights began to dim.

"Mom!" a steely, but desperate voice sliced through the crowd and the three men closing in on the Charmings, were reduced to ash. Behind them Emma came into view. Her teeth bared and hands forward. The chaos stopped momentarily until someone else shouted, "Dark One!" There was a scramble to get to the exits.

Emma's unblinking eyes swept the room and she flicked her wrists. The doors all slammed shut, trapping them all in the room. Emma had clearly snapped. Snow ran to her and clutched her daughter's face. Regina heard her pleading, "Emma, don't do this. This isn't you. You are letting the darkness win."

But Emma was gone, only the Dark One stood before them. Emma had power she couldn't control so the power took control of her. It had gripped into her fear and her family ties. The curse knew how to survive.

Henry appeared at Regina's side and he whispered, "Mom, do something. She is about to go full Carrie on everyone here."

Regina had no idea what that meant but Henry was scared and it meant action needed to be taken. "Emma Swan!" Regina's voice commanded the room. Emma turned to her and Regina saw the rage in her eyes. She was like a caged wolf. Regina kept eye contact with her and slowly walked towards her.

"Forgive me, Emma," she whispered.

With a flick of her wrist, Regina made the Dark One's dagger appear in her hand. She held it forward and brought back her commanding voice. "Emma Swan. I order you to stand down."

The rage coursing through Emma halted and she smirked. The doors all swung open and Emma bowed dramatically to Regina, "As you wish," she hissed.

Emma snapped both her fingers and she was gone in a puff of silver smoke.

A calm settled over the room as the anger dissipated. Regina wasn't aware Emma knew how to magically move from one place to another. Well, maybe Emma didn't but her cursed self did.

Snow ran to Regina, "What happened?"

"She did as I commanded but I didn't order her to stay. She could be anywhere."

"What was she about to do?" Charming asked stupidly. He knew. They all knew. It was just hard to admit to knowing.

Regina sighed and looked to Henry. He was terrified but she sensed a determination in him that she'd only seen a few times before. She thought to address it later. "She was trying to protect you. You forget the curse that grips her is old and powerful. I thought she would be able to fight it for longer, but it sensed her weakness."

She knew he would speak before she finished. Hook pointed at her, "She is not weak."

"I didn't say she was weak. I am saying she has a weakness." Regina gestured to the group of them: Snow, Charming, Hook, and Henry. "Her family."

It wasn't clear to them yet, but it was clear to Regina. She knew Rumple caved to the darkness when he was able to be powerful, something he never had. His weakness was a life without power. Being given all that strength warped his twisted little mind. Emma had a more complex weakness in her love for her family. It wasn't something to be exploited but it was something that needed to be protected. Even though the lucked out of almost every problem they've ever had, the Charmings needed protection. Emma always wanted them safe, and now that was possible. But the power whispering in her ear was a mutated one. It wasn't something that could be harnessed for good. It thrived on the emotions of the vulnerable. Seeing her mother and father in the middle of a mosh pit and Henry helplessly unprotected, dropped her.

There was no doubt in Regina's mind, Emma as they knew her was gone. Until they removed that curse she would never be the same. She knew this to be true but she also knew that the Charmings would never expect it.

Regina clutched the dagger and worried she might have to use it.

It was about this moment that the illusion that they were alone in the ballroom was shattered. Arthur approached them looking furious. "What is going on?"

Snow sighed and explained how they ended up on the Hill of Stones and that Emma was the true Savior. Arthur clenched his jaw tighter and tighter the longer she spoke. "But why," he asked when she finished, "did you allow me to board the Dark One like a commoner? She should be locked in a cell with your sister!" He looked to Regina as he spoke.

"We were doing what we could to save her from the Curse. She wasn't full Dark One when we came her. I mean, she is now!" Regina didn't want to sit here and discuss this anymore. She wanted them to all leave and regroup when there was a plan. "Tell me Arthur-"

" _King_ Arthur," he corrected her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. _Kiiiing_ Arthur," she said bowing low and dramatically, "How are we supposed to free your tree wizard? Because if you don't know, we have better things to do."

Arthur threw his hands up and sighed. He said, "All I know is that it has to be Savior magic and an act of love."

Well, she thought. If it had to be Savior magic then it would have to be Emma. She had an idea.

 **Henry**

It was cold that night waiting by that tree. Henry was wearing a jacket but not his scarf, a decision he regretted. "What if she doesn't who up?" he asked his mom.

She looked at him and assured him, "She will be here. And if she won't come on her own I have her dagger to coax her here."

"I still don't like that," Snow said quietly.

Henry didn't like it either but he was scared for his mom. Both his moms really. One was the Dark One and the other was pitting herself against the Dark One. He had seen the rage in Emma's eyes. He had never seen her like that before and it scared him. He, like everyone else, thought it would be easy to fix her. But the Dark One curse was more complicated than that. He knew she would be unhappy when she realized what she had done to the men in the ballroom. Sure, they were attacking but killing them wasn't the answer. Heroes don't kill...do they?

"Hey grandpa?" Henry asked in the darkness.

"Yeah, Henry, what's up?"

"Heroes don't kill right?"

His grandfather took a deep breath and scratched his chin. "Well, that's tricky. You see, sometimes in our world it happens. Someone fights you and you have to defend yourself. Sometimes that means that one of you dies, and you hope it isn't you. You never want anyone to die but things happen that can be out of your control."

Henry looked into the night and asked, "But what about what mom did to Cruella?"

"She was protecting you. When children are involved it's hard to think clearly. Cruella knew what she was getting into when she egged on your mother."

"And the men in the ballroom?"

"Ah, see that's where it is tricky. They were attacking your grandmother and me. She was defending us. But she did it with magic and while their backs were turned. It was not an honorable thing to do. That is a little bit of a grey area. What she did was okay, but how she did it? That was the darkness in her. What do you think she would have done if she didn't have that crazy magic?"

Henry thought about it for a moment then said, "She would have grabbed a sword and jumped into the fight."

"Exactly. That's the hero way. Attacking with a kill move while someone isn't looking is not..."

"Kosher?"

"Yeah, sure. Kosher." His grandpa smiled and put his hand on Henry's shoulder. "Don't worry. We are going to get her free of this before she does a lot of damage. I think we were underestimating the curse before. We won't make that mistake again. Are you ready?"

Henry nodded. Everyone took their places. Henry was tied up with his hands and feet bound together. He was waiting at the base of the tree that was Merlin. He looked to his mom who nodded at him to go ahead with the plan.

"HEEEEEEEELP!" he shouted into the night. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Nothing happened so he shouted some more.

"It's working," Regina whispered, holding the dagger.

Henry continued shouting and the King came out of the shadows with a drawn blade. "Son of the Dark One, you have been sentenced to death. Do you accept?"

"No!" Henry shrieked and frantically tried to escape.

"What are you doing?" Hook came running towards the tree.

Arthur pointed his sword to him, "Stay out of this, pirate. This is the spawn of the darkness. He has to be executed."

"Bloody hell he does! Get away from him!" Hook lunged at him but was thrown to the side.

His mom, Regina, appeared with her hand out. "No, he's right."

Henry heard his grandparents gasp and charge towards them. They were thrown aside as well. Henry continued struggling against his bindings. They he couldn't break them.

The King looked to Regina and asked, "Do you want to do it or should I?"

Henry could feel his skin breaking under the ropes as he frantically pulled at them futility.

"I'll do it," Regina said. "It's only fair." She raised her hand and produced a fireball. "I am so sorry Henry..."

There was a flash of light and Emma appeared. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Mom help!" Henry shouted, trying to get to his feet.

"I'm doing what needs to be done. We need to make a sacrifice to free Merlin and save you," Regina said toying with the fireball.

Emma stepped forward and he silvery skin glinted in the flame light, "You would kill your son to free a wizard you don't know?"

"He will bring him back once he is free," Arthur said casually.

Regina raised the fireball and looked to Henry, "I'm sorry Henry, it's the only way." She lobbed the fireball at him.

"NOT MY SON YOU BITCH!" Emma threw a stream of magic at the fireball and there a crack like a whip. The fireball turned blue and grew to the size of a beach ball. In whirled in place just long enough for everyone to marvel at its beauty. It popped like a camp fire and hurled itself at Henry again. He quickly ducked and the blue flame ball struck the Merlin tree right in the trunk.

In moments Henry watched the tree become engulfed in blue flames. It burned fast and bright. Everyone was shielding their eyes from the sight and backing away. There was another loud crack and the tree exploded. Everyone threw themselves to the ground and covered their heads.

There was silence.

Henry was the first one to look up. When he did he saw a man in a white robe staring at him. Smiling.

"Hello, Henry."


	9. Chapter 9

**Merlin**

 **Part 1**

He was an old man. Merlin was old. How old was he?

Old as hell.

Merlin had a lot of time to think about his life while he was frozen as a tree. He thought about how he came into his magic.

Fleeing from bandits in the desert there was an oasis. His partner, Adda, saw it first and they ran as fast as they could towards it. They had been running all day and they were losing ground. Merlin was wandering the world, poor and alone when he was snatched off the street. He was being taken… somewhere. He didn't stick around long enough to find out. Breaking away was tough, and it included freeing Adda because they were shackled together.

Adda was a nice guy, but Adda was slow and a little spacey.

They talked a little bit on the first day from the escape. They had nothing in common, so the talking stopped eventually. Adda was a farm hand. Merlin was a fan of herbs and potions. He worked with a medicine man for a while, before the medicine man died.

The medicine man was old.

Not as old as Merlin was currently, but old nonetheless.

"Look! A cup of water!" Adda screamed, pointing.

Merlin squinted in the sunlight and saw a silver chalice glinting. "Uh, should we trust a random goblet?"

"I don't care! I am so thirsty!" Adda fell to his knees before the thing and grabbed it greedily. The moment he touched the silver to his lips, he was gone.

Not a nice gone, but a weird gone. He was there, then he wasn't. There was just a pile of ash and the chalice sat in the middle.

Merlin turned to keep running but he felt the need to turn around. He looked over his shoulder. There was the silver cup, just waiting for him. It called to him.

Before he knew what happened he was sitting before it. Mindlessly he reached forward to drink from it.

The liquid that poured down his throat was hot and sweet. It reminded him of home, the cookies his mother would make when he came back from working. It filled him with a warm belly and made his head feel light.

He looked at the silver object in his hand and noticed the engravings. This was the Holy Grail. It was so clear to him in that moment.

His pursuers rushed behind him, shouting. They grabbed at him and he thrust his hands towards them in defense. A beam of white came from his hands and the men were thrown away.

He was scared and he ran. The men didn't follow.

He took the Grail with him.

From then he wandered the world learning about the new powers he was blessed with. He could heal, he could urge growth in plants, and he could talk to bears.

That last one was strange to him, but bears had some interesting thoughts on the world.

He lost track of time during his travels. Decades passed unnoticed to him. He would find villages and make himself a home until they noticed he wasn't aging; then he would move on.

He found himself in small village when a woman came to him for help. She threw her bag into his arms and started shouting about her burned village. She needed his help to grow the plants from her village. She claimed they were her legacy.

From that moment they were companions. They wandered the world together and in each village they planted seeds from her village. Merlin promised her that her legacy would cover the world.

Nimue.

He loved her and she loved him back.

When she started to show signs of age, it broke his heart. He didn't want to lose her. So they traveled to the location where he had hidden away the Grail. In the moonlight, she drank from the cup and she was filled with magic. Together they would heal the world.

Knowing they would be together forever, they wanted their relationship to be immortalized. They married under a full moon. Swearing their souls to each other, they reforged the Holy Grail into a great sword. It bond them together in safety and symbolic permanence. Their names engraved in the blade. It was so beautiful. Merlin carried the sword on his back while they traveled.

One day Nimue decided to head into a nearby village to help them. When they arrived the villager implored them to stop a man that was terrorizing their town. Merlin told them no. They were not in the business of vengeance or justice. They were healers. The villagers pointed at the sword on Merlin's back. He assured them it was for protection in dire situations, not for crime fighting.

They set up camp on the outside of the village. A few villagers came to make the case again and Merlin kindly declined.

That night Merlin woke up in the night to see Nimue was not next to him. He got up and looked for her outside. That was when he heard the scream from the center of the city.

A man crumpled to the ground in the middle of the town. He lay in a pool of his own blood. Nimue stood over him with their sword. It was covered in blood, tip to hilt. She had her teeth bared and she was breathing heavy.

Merlin shouted to her asking her why.

One of the villagers appealed to Nimue. The villager told her that he was afraid the man terrorizing the town would start the village on fire. Nimue didn't ask any more questions and she stormed into the village. She saw the man sneaking around in the night. She said nothing. She marched up to him and stabbed him through the stomach.

She said it was justice for her home village that burned down all those years ago. She knew it wasn't the same man, but she had her vengeance. A black cloud settled over her as she shouted her reasons to Merlin. When the cloud lifted a new being stood before him. Her skin was blue and shiny. Her eyes were angry and determined.

All the magic that coursed through him was white, pure, and good.

Hers had been tainted with evil and cruelty.

She was completely dark.


	10. Chapter 10

**Merlin**

 **Part Two**

He spent years trying to track Nimue. After she became possessed by darkness she vanished from sight, but she had left the sword behind. Merlin had cleaned the blood off the blade in a nearby river. He knew her abandoning it was a sign of her abandoning him as well.

As he washed the sword he thought of her, the woman he met all those years ago. When he thought of her he could picture where she was. The sword was signaling to him where she had disappeared. Even though she had abandoned him, they were still connected with the sword.

Merlin used that to find her dozens of times. Every time he found her she was finishing chaos. Everywhere she went she rooted out stories of vengeance and carried them out. People first praised her and honored her with gifts. They loved her for stopping their trouble makers. But soon she grew bored and began taking payment for helping people with their pettier problems. She didn't care who was right or wrong, she helped whoever was paying.

Merlin found her making sleeping potions in the woods one evening. He confronted her, sword drawn. She laughed at his posturing and told him to stand down, she wouldn't hurt him. He was her first love. He gave her the powers she had so she owed him great debt.

"No!" He had shouted. "No no no." He gave her good powers. Powers to heal. She let them sour and become evil. When he accused her of tampering with lives carelessly and also, importantly, murder she smiled and did not deny it.

"We are gods among men, Merlin. Join me. We can control this world!" Her eyes were full of spirit and mischief. She saw this all as a game now. The darkness had claimed her reverence for human life.

She had to be stopped.

He tried a number of times to simply capture her but she eluded him each time. She could see each of his traps coming the moment he set them. She was to quick to be caught. Merlin knew he was only trying to subdue her, but the answer was to kill her. The world could not suffer this kind of darkness wandering over it.

That evening he knew what had to be done. He would use the sword they forged together to bring her down. It was an embodiment of their souls, it would suit well to loose one of them from the mortal coil.

On a foggy, cold night Merlin found Nimue deep within the woods, standing over a small campfire. Her back was turned to him. He didn't want to give her the upper hand so he charged at her, sword drawn.

When he was within steps of her, Nimue turned and make eye contact with him. The look in her eyes was one of cold hatred. But behind that he saw the woman he once loved and he couldn't do it. He lowered the sword and they stared at each other in the moonlight. The sword fell from his hands and hit the forest floor with a thud.

Nimue looked at the sword and smiled. She reached her foot out and stomped on the end of the blade once. A loud crack broke through the forest and birds took flight in terror. The sword was broken in two, right between their names.

"There," she said triumphantly, "Now this sword will not kill me. I broke my name off! Now the sword can only kill you!"

"But the end is blunt, you cannot run me through with a blunt sword," he countered.

"That won't stop me from slicing off your head, my dear!"

In a split second the both moved, diving for the sword. She was reaching to attack him, he simply wanted it away from her. He whispered quietly to himself, invoking a spell. He waved his hand at the weapon and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Were is it?" she hissed.

"Right there," he pointed. The sword was lodged within a large boulder. "Only a spirit with a good soul can remove it."

"I will just grab it and hit you with the boulder on the end of the sword. Same effect," she purred.

Waving his hand again, muttering an incantation, he bound the rock and sword to reject anyone unworthy from it. It was an easy spell since the Holy Grail it was forged from was what gave him the idea. The metal took the spell easily. The boulder fought him for a moment. Natural objects carried hints of older magic and sometimes rejected new magic. The boulder only hesitated for an instant but then absorbed the spell, probably to keep harmony with the sword.

Merlin loved the symbiotic relationships that magic could form.

"Only a pure soul can remove that sword," Merlin chided.

"I doubt that greatly," she responded and made her way to the sword. She reached out her hand but hesitated. She looked to him and must have seen the resolve on his face; she knew he was serious.

"Nimue, please, let me heal the darkness from you," Merlin pleaded. He wanted his love back. Watching her be this dark and twisted destroyed him.

Considering it momentarily Nimue looked contemplative. Merlin thought she would come back to him and they could be as one good force again. He was wrong. She grinned a toothy smile and said, "You will always pine for me, Merlin," she waved her hands and he felt his feet sink in the ground and his skin harden. "But for now you will have to willow in your self pity for a while. Ha."

Merlin hated puns.

That was the last thing he thought for a few months. His true love, Nimue, possessed with darkness had turned him into a large tree. He couldn't break free no matter what he tried. Every spell he knew was useless.

When he became aware again, Nimue stood before him grinning. She pet the bark on him and said, "I realized it was no fun being a tree if you weren't aware you were a tree. I came to relieve you of the emptiness."

He could not respond.

"Also, do you like my new dagger?" She held up the tip of the sword she had broken in half. It had her name emblazoned on the side still. She had added a hilt and held it with great care. "I thought you might like it. This dagger and I get along famously, but I have yet to do anything with it yet. I decided to come christen it." She stabbed the side of the tree that was him and began carving.

He could not scream.

"There," she said happily. "Now everyone will know you belong to me."

Merlin couldn't see what she carved into the side of him, but he was sure it wasn't good. It burned. She carved a hex into him. She was getting more twisted and Merlin was powerless to stop her.

For years Merlin watched men and women come and try to remove his sword from the stone. All of them failed. He couldn't stand watching this happen forever.

With great concentration and strength, Merlin used all the energy he could muster to find the soul that could pull the sword from the boulder. As he searched, his powers grew. He was able to see the many futures of different people. At first the futures were blurry, but slowly they became clearer. He found he was stronger on sunny days.

He found the young man playing in a field. He was a strong boy with a taste for adventure but was true of heart. He could be a leader, and he dreamed of being a king. Merlin could see several paths that lead to him becoming a great king, and a few where he was not a good king. Help would be needed in all those paths.

A warm summer evening while the boy slept in a self build tent in his backyard, Merlin projected images of the futures he saw where the boy became a great king. He showed the young man what he could become if he tried and stayed good.

Then Merlin decided to intersect their destinies. He showed the boy images of removing the sword from the stone and implying that he would need to do so in order to be king. He did this a few nights every month until the boy reached adulthood.

That man became Arthur. A bold man with a single goal in mind: being king. He squired for years then becoming a knight. He won the hearts of the people all over Camelot, even as the land suffered.

On a bright day in the fall, Arthur proclaimed that he would find the magic sword that turned men and women to dust. He would prove himself the King of Camelot when that sword was removed. The people cheered.

Trying to let Arthur find it himself, Merlin didn't give him any hints as to the swords location. He waited while Arthur searched high and low throughout Camelot. Anyone who had found it was dead, so he was blind.

The people had named the sword, Merlin discovered.

And they called the sword Excalibur.


	11. Chapter 11

**Merlin**

 **Part Three**

When Arthur found the sword in the late winter, Merlin could have jumped for joy. That is, if he weren't a tree still.

In the clearing the man stood with a look of awe and wonder on his face. He rubbed his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Arthur approached the sword very slowly and got to his knees before it. He lowered his head and Merlin could hear him thanking God for the great fortune.

Merlin felt a small twinge of guilt, but it passed just as quickly.

With his many knights surrounding him, Arthur pulled the sword from the stone and held it aloft in triumph. When he could a glimpse of the broken end he shouted in fury. Foolishly, his knights looked around as if the tip of the sword was on the ground nearby. Arthur stormed away to be alone with his rage.

The enraged, now King, leaned against Merlin's trunk. He held his hands forward against the bark and Merlin could hear him cry. "How am I supposed to rule a kingdom with a broken sword?" Arthur whispered to himself.

It was terrible watching him be crushed so Merlin projected images of him leading the kingdom with the sword, still broken. The images were then morphed into ones of him reforging the sword. When Merlin gave him images of leading a greater kingdom with a reforged sword. Arthur perked up and looked at the tree with wonder.

"Men! I have a new prophecy!" Arthur shouted to his knights. They came running. "I shall take this kingdom with this partial sword. Then I will find a great man to forge it into my own. It shall be a symbol of the new, stronger kingdom that I reforge! Are you with me men?" And the men cheered.

But Arthur never got the sword reforged. It rejected all attempts to be reshaped or modified.

Merlin's name was still carved into the side which brought Arthur nothing but frustration. Merlin used what magic he could to mask the name when it seemed to be breaking the king's spirit too much.

No amount of images projected into his mind would break Arthur of his quest. The king planned to find the lost tip of the sword and reforge it himself.

It possessed his every waking thought. Merlin watched as Arthur built a castle around the boulder and he himself, the tree. Arthur knew something was special about the tree so when the men came to destroy the forest to make way for the castle, Arthur gave clear instruction to leave the big, old tree alone.

Years into Arthur's reign his confidence waned about fixing his great sword. On a particularly sunny day Merlin dug unto his roots and projected an image to Arthur of the dagger. It spent so much of his energy, Merlin blacked out for over 20 years. He knew nothing of the fate of Camelot or his King.

He awoke one spring to see the castle around him was in disrepair and the garden was think with overgrowth. A haggard man with a beard stumbled to him that evening with a drink in his hand. The man looked up at the tree and shouted obscenities. He threw his drink container towards the tree, shattering it against Merlin's trunk.

Arthur was a broken king.

He laid down and slept off his drunkenness under Merlin's branches that night.

That episode happened once a week for a few years, all the while Merlin stored his magical energy in hopes to communicate with the king, the broken man he was. The magic was slower now, almost nonexistent. Was it Merlin's age?

No, that couldn't be it.

No, the land was devoid of magic. Arthur had run every person that practiced the art of magic out of the kingdom when they failed him. Arthur had sent dozens of men to their death looking for that dagger. They eventually learned it belonged to the Dark One and would venture out no longer. His knights would sometimes brave the task but return sullen and shaken. The Dark One would play tricks on them and coax them out of information, gold, or, in one case, his boots.

Merlin waited for another 6 years before he gathered enough magic to project one single prophecy into Arthur's head: The tree was Merlin.

On a cold night in the winter, Arthur made his drunken stumble to the tree. He shouted about his failures and how his wife, Guinevere, was cheating on him. He believed everyone knew it. He was a betrayed and disgraced king.

Taking pity on the man, Merlin gave him one final vision. The vision of who hem the great wizard, was. The vision of what he could do. And the vision of who could free him.

The last piece of the vision was new to even Merlin. He did not recognize the face or the name. "The Savior of Storybrooke" was not a tale in which he was familiar. His magic had taken some strange changes while he was a tree. He did not like it.

Giving Arthur that final vision destroyed Merlin. He felt all the energy leave him and he knew nothing more of the world.

The next thing he saw was a boy, tied and bound before him. Two women posed with magic orbs, ready to strike. The King he once knew, falling to his knees before him. A man and woman clutching each other, eyes wide with wonder. And… a pirate?

His magic spoke in his ear the name of the boy, the Author.

Merlin was free.


	12. Chapter 12

**Regina**

Stunned. She was rarely stunned.

They had come to the tree with two plans, neither of which she had liked. Use Henry as bait to lure in Emma and convince her to free the wizard in the tree. The back up plan was to kill Henry. Well, that's what she told the others. She had just planned on making it look like he had died. She couldn't very well kill the boy. She told Henry about her plan to keep him calm, she didn't need him hating her like he once did. She lied to Arthur, because he wouldn't understand.

A false death would do in the face of a dark spell. Spells, much like computers, could be tricked into believing things. It was devastating for her to even mimic his death and those feelings would translate well into fooling the spell. Love was something no one could fake. But the feelings could be manipulated.

Rumpelstiltskin taught her that.

It was when Arthur came out of nowhere, a man possessed, that scared Regina the most. He was going to sit back and let them handle the situation, but faced with the chance to free his wizard, Arthur could not sit idly by.

She understood. King and queens had zero patience and usually wanted to control everything. She was once that way.

Alright, alright. She was still that way.

She did her best to stop Arthur while keeping the ruse going. The pirate and the love birds flipped out the way they always do. It probably added to the drama.

Emma showing up and stopping the attack was inspired. Regina had never seen the intermingling of spells like the blue fireball she and Emma created. It had a life of it's own and radiated darkness, but also a warm feeling of love.

Emma had attacked out of love for Henry.

Regina thought for a moment that might mean Emma could be saved based on that fact but Rumple loved his son and Belle and he treated them both like garbage and did terrible things in the name of love. No, love could be felt in darkness.

She was sure Snow would argue that point, so Regina decided to keep that to herself for now.

Honestly, it was hard for even her to grasp what had happened. There wasn't much time to process it because the man was standing before them. His tattered cloak hung off his thin form. He looked emaciated beyond all reason. The man greeted Henry but not before falling to his knees.

Arthur was next to her, on his knees. Stunned to silence with disbelief.

Regina hurried to the wizard's side, "Merlin?"

The man looked up at her with the oldest eyes Regina had ever seen. This really must have been the ancient wizard. He cleared his throat and spoke hoarsely, "I need to get used to speaking." He clucked his tongue a few time, "I haven't had a tongue in so long!"

"Well, take your time. You haven't had legs in a long time either," Regina reminded him.

"Oh, I had legs as a tree," Merlin replied. "I stood on the legs of an empire, carved from the vastness of the inheritance of man."

Everyone looked at each other in silence. Merlin smiled and sprung to his feet. "Woo!" Merlin hooted, "I don't care if that was nonsense. It feels amazing to speak again!" Regina watched as the man she thought was a decrepit take off in a dead sprint into the darkness of the forest.

Emma, for all her Dark One gloom and foreboding, made a puzzled face and asked loudly, "What the hell?"

They could hear Merlin whooping and shouting. The forest creatures scurrying away as he ran around shouting. They all heard him yell, "I'm freeeeeeeeee!" and he hopped back into the light, scaring Snow half to death. Charming looked startled but kept his wits about him.

Arthur was still on his knees staring at the wizard like he was great and powerful, not a lunatic.

He must be in shock because the man they just freed from the tree was a certified loon.

"Thank you!" Merlin shouted, "I have been waiting a long time for you! I have no clue who any of you are, but I've been waiting!" He turned to Arthur and exclaimed, "You! I know you!"

Blinking a few times, Arthur's senses started coming back to him. "Merlin, will you help me finish my sword?"

"Of course my boy! Stand up, stand up! I'm no one to kneel before, especially from a king! Silly boy! Stand up!" Merlin spoke quickly, so quickly it was almost impossible to follow.

Regina crossed the garden to free Henry. Everyone, including Henry, was so transfixed by the wizard no one was moving. "Are you okay?" she asked him quietly.

"Yeah," he said with a shaking voice. "Do you think mom is okay?"

They both looked towards Emma. She was shifting from one foot to another and flexing her fingers around. She looked like a drug addict. It was strange seeing her this way because Emma usually had this annoying sense of confidence.

"Emma," Regina called.

The Dark One snapped her head towards Regina and with a snap of her fingers, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Fantastic."

Hook could be heard groaning as he got to his feet and watched Emma's smoke cloud disappear.

Snow hurried over to her and asked, "Where did she go?"

"How should I know?"

"Why did she leave?"

"Again, how should I know?"

Snow scowled at her and Regina ignored her. She didn't have time for this, she needed to get Henry free and back to his room. It had been a long day and they all needed some sleep.

"Where is the Savior?" Merlin boomed.

Regina threw her hands into the air and shouted, "ENOUGH. It's been a weird night. I think we are all a bit over stimulated and over tired. We are all going to bed and we can regroup in the morning."

"You can't talk to me like that! I'm the king!" Arthur contested.

"Well I am the queen and I say we are all going to bed!" The steel in Regina's voice seemed to stop any further questions. They all muttered to themselves and wandered back into the castle. Merlin was bouncing around blabbering about finally sleeping in a real bed, in a room. He found the idea quite exhilarating.

He had only been in their lives for ten minutes and Regina was already exhausted by him.

Robin caught up with her and said, "Hey, don't forget about me!"

They walked Henry to his room and made sure he got into bed. The boy was tired. He tried to do so much all the time, it was easy to forget how young he was. It was also easy to forget how old he was too. To her he would always be her little boy but in the past months he had proven himself to be a young man that was coming into his own. Soon he would need either of his moms.

Regina frowned at the thought.

 **Hook**

He woke up in his bed alone. Through his window he saw the sun rising over Camelot. He knew that somewhere Emma was awake seeing the same sunrise. Hopefully the sunrise spoke to Emma, deep within the Dark One. She was still in there somewhere, even though yesterday she was swallowed whole by darkness.

After he got dressed and headed to the kitchen to scrounge up some breakfast. He didn't want to wait for a formal breakfast with the king. He had few skills on dry land, but one was the ability to always find the kitchen no matter where he was.

Down the hallway he caught the scent of bacon. He followed it happily, forgetting his troubles temporarily. Bacon was his favorite. A few stairs and hallways later he was at the door of the kitchen.

Everyone was bustling around, hurrying to finish breakfast but also prepare for lunch and dinner. Arthur clearly enjoyed eating.

"Oy! The pirate is here! Welcome! Try some of the baked apples!"

It was Merlin. He was sitting in a corner table and had several empty plates in front of him. The wizard beckoned Hook to him with one hand and patted his belly with the other. "Good morning, Merlin," Hook said, attempting to sound light.

"Ah, the sound of a heavy heart. Sit down my boy and tell me all about it!" Merlin's face was covered in crumbs and smears of jam. Hook sat slowly, unsure about this crazy man. "So you are in love with the Dark One!"

"Uh, what?" Hook was taken off guard. "How did you…."

"Ah, that my dear boy, is easy. We recognize our own! I have had the same love in my heart and the same heart break at the prospect of loving a Dark One." Merlin shoved a roll in his mouth and said, blowing crumbs everywhere, "Tell me about your Dark One, pirate."

"You can call me, Killian."

"I shall call you pirate, pirate!"

"...Ok…" Hook thought questioning the man would give him a headache so he decided to ignore that comment. "Emma took the curse when we the curse loosed from the last Dark One. I need to help free her again. Can you help?"

Merlin looked sad for a moment, but then smiled with a mouth still full of roll. He swallowed everything and took a huge swig of his ale. "Ah, ale in the morning is the only way to start a day. It feels so great to eat and drink again. Being a tree was the worst. I do not recommend it."

Hook had heard enough, this man would be of no help to him. He needed to eat and start hunting down Emma. He needed to find her and save her. His mind was possessed, he knew he would be the only one who could save her.

How did he know that?

Looking down, Hook saw that Merlin was gripping his hook. "I see what you know, pirate. You are the one who will save her. This I know to be true."

Hook sat down and listened to the wizard tell him stories while they ate in the back of the kitchen.


End file.
